Buckeyes defensive about defeats

By KEN GORDON

As the Ohio State football team began its summer workouts, safety Anderson Russell was concerned.

His teammates seemed to be treating it as a job, not an adventure.

“It was just kind of like guys weren’t as enthusiastic, maybe,” he said.

If the players were stuck in a rut, it would seem to be a fitting metaphor for the entire program.

For several seasons, the Buckeyes’ story line has been the same: win Big Ten titles, dominate inferior competition, but lose the big games. OSU is winless in its past five meetings against top-10 teams, dating to a 2006 victory over Michigan.

Granted, the team’s three-year record is 33-6. It has won or shared four straight Big Ten titles and is on a five-game winning streak against the Wolverines.

So it’s a high-level rut — call it a plateau. And that could be why, as players reported to camp Sunday, they reacted with some defensiveness when asked to assess the program.

“It’s where I think we want it to be,” defensive tackle Todd Denlinger said. “We’ve heard everything from the media that the Big Ten is down or the Big Ten is slow. It’s not true; it’s just talk.

“It’s just the way the cards have fallen. Look at past history — your Florida States, your Miamis — they’ve all had their runs. It’s how college football goes, and right now we’ve just got to build it back up.”

Offensive lineman Jim Cordle had similar sentiments.

“Ohio State has always been a top-tier program,” he said. “We had a couple disappointing losses in the last couple years, but I don’t think that takes away anything from the program. [Get] a couple big wins this year, and all that goes away.”

Denlinger admitted that the 2008 team had a tough time building itself back up. The Buckeyes came into the season ranked No.2 in the Associated Press poll, but a 35-3 loss at Southern California prompted a quarterback change and apparently caused some shoulders to slump.

Several star players had returned for their senior season, and even though they were adamant that it was not a “national title or bust” season, after USC, it was hard to avoid feeling that the campaign was a lost cause.

“There was definitely high expectations across the board,” Denlinger said. “A couple things happened and things didn’t go our way, and I think that changes a lot of guys’ minds and philosophies.”

Denlinger also pointed out a trait that has been common for OSU in recent years — that of rallying from a tough loss to salvage a decent season. Last year, that included winning two road games against top-20 teams (Wisconsin and Michigan State) and landing a slot in the Fiesta Bowl against No. 3 Texas.

“We fought,” he said. “We got into a BCS bowl game; we beat Michigan. I know for a lot of years, that would’ve been enough right there.”

Russell said that after two or three weeks of summer workouts, he noticed the attitude and intensity picking up. New leadership began to emerge, and he believes that the team has come together at the right time.

Denlinger took note that despite the beating OSU’s reputation has taken recently, the coaches who vote in the USA Today poll ranked the Buckeyes sixth — hardly a second-tier national power.

“We may not have all those big-name guys,” Denlinger said, “but we’re going to believe and we’re going to fight to the last inch. Hopefully we’ll get that No. 6 changed into No. 1 real fast.”

Notes

Ohio State will open one night practice to the public. On Aug. 24, fans may attend a free practice at Ohio Stadium, with the gates opening at 6:30 p.m. and practice starting at 7:30 … ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from Ohio State on Sept. 12 as part of the buildup to the showdown with USC.